Smile For the Camera!

Is it Time magazine or People that does a “Year in Pictures”? As a celebration to me I thought I would put together a few "before" and “during” pictures. The process is far from over, but I have come a long way. I was 250 pounds, which you probably know from reading my aqua-green side bar on the right hand side.

This is how I have been changing over the last year. The pictures in this blog entry really exposes me to the world. This entry was a daunting emotional task for me. I never considered myself to be a "big girl", instead I was "larger than life". Now looking back on these pictures I am force to reflect on the pain I actually felt. As I take a deep breathe I give you me, all of me, the pained, the lucky, the thrilled, and the happy.

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This is a picture of me taken two years ago. I was at my heaviest, and the things I find interesting are: At the time this picture was taken I didn’t see myself as this large. (I was probably heavier than 250, but I didn't weigh myself.) I look older and tired. And where did my eyes go? (I also regret buying that sweater; the color looks gross on me.)

"I Like Big Butts!"

This is my daughter Holly and I in August of 2007. I am sitting slanted so I can hide my body. But honey the camera still gets ya. I needed help, and it was coming. Thank goodness! I could not have walked this road without my daughter and my husband.



This is David and me in Las Vegas. I made him take this photo with me. I asked a very attractive couple to take our photo, which they kindly did. This stood out to me because I did not feel worthy to be around ultra-attractive persons. We had been walking around Vegas for about nine hours and you can see that David is tuckered out. What I am also noticing is the water stain on the front of my shirt. When I was heavier I seemed to attract water, soda, juice, food, and crumbs to my tops. It was rare to find a shirt that did not have some kind of mark on it. I thought I was a freak of nature, but now I realize it was just my girth getting in the way. My fork and cup had further to travel to get to my mouth. I could not hold a plate close enough to prevent crumbs from falling; and I also ate much faster then. I must tell you that when I walk away from a meal with a clean shirt I am very proud of my accomplishment. Check out my stain free top sans bib!

These are more pictures of me before I went in for my lapband! One thing is for sure I was, and always will be a "ham"! No I was not on the Price is Right. I went to a show in Vegas.

These are my "before" pictures. I look so beaten down. Pictures were taken October 2, 2007. My surgery was on October 3, 2007.

*Warning: the next picture contains content that is not suitable for younger viewers. Parental discretion is advised. Or those with weak stomachs should skip this next one.*

"I'm Bringing Sexy Back!"
This photo was taken the night I got home from the hospital. Apparently we wanted to capture this moment for eternity. I must have been really drugged up at the time, but I don't know what to say about the person who took the photo. How did they think this was a good idea?

Here I am a week later with my swollen post-op belly. I thought it is funny because I thought I looked preggers. I went to the mall and pretended to waddle to see if people would ask me when I was due. No one did. Oh well, it was for the best. My tummy’s swelling did go away.

This is a picture of me in a pink top taken 2 weeks after surgery.






This picture was taken one month after my lapband was put in. (Still looking tired.)











This picture was taken two months after surgery. Oooo... I am starting to see a space between my arms and my side! And I also have a neck coming. Amy you're looking good! (Not so tired.)

This picture was taken the same month. Isn't it funny how we look better with clothes on?

In this photo I am trying to look smokin' hot. In reality it was freezing outside, in fact I think it was snowing. I remember thinking to myself, "This is as thin as I am probably going to get." HA!"Merry Christmas!" Here I am showcasing a present from Leslie Ann. She made me slippers in my favorite guy: Cookie Monster. I still have them, expect my cat ate one of the eyes off one of the slippers. Maybe next year she will make me a blue hat...Hmmm...I wonder if she reads my blog?

To the right is a camera phone photo.





I think this photo was taken in March. I am actually smaller. I don't have a shirt that fits. It was the best I could do at the time. But I sure felt sexy. Now I am really "Bringing Sexy Back!"





















HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! It has been 7 months since I was banded. This is the first time I think I look good in a picture.

Remember how David looked in Vegas? He was overweight and tired. (I am sorry darling, but you were.) When I got banded he supported me so much that he followed my diet, ate off of my small plates, exercised with me everyday, and lost a ton of weight. How many people can say that they have somebody that devoted to them? (I love you David. Oh yeah and you look hot!)

My daughter Holly took me out for a fancy tea party. We are dressed up in our best dresses, and we are wearing my grandmother’s tea gloves. In our purses we are carrying David’s grandmother’s handkerchiefs. Both grandmothers have passed, so it is important that we take a piece of them with us when we go out for these special occasions. In this picture we are “hamming it up”; what else is new?

This is my grandpa and me. Let me tell you a little bit about my grandfather: He was slated to play baseball in the major league as a pitcher, but it was during the time of the Korean War. As luck would have it- he was drafted. He was loyal to his country so he went without question; figuring that he could return to baseball when his service to his country was over. However, during combat one of his eyes was badly injured making it impossible for him to return to the sport he loved so much. I asked him if he regretted going to war. He said, “No, because I met your grandma at an USO dance, and if I didn’t go to war I would have never met her. And if I never met her, you wouldn’t be here.”
See why I love him so much?


This bathing suit photo was taken at the end of August. Now I am starting to pose. PLEASE...Oh gosh!!



Look at the size of those zucchinis! For once I am not the biggest thing in the picture!

You always in a picture montage with a black and white, so I decided to do the same. I don’t know when in the year this photo was snapped, but it really doesn’t matter.